JW Anderson’s fluffy mohairs and transformer skirts. The jumper round the waist is actually stitched to this skirt and there are paisley silk trousers with skirts on top that are detachable. Very versatile for mixing and matching

Did I mention my penchant for a paving slab sized coffee-table book? Despite the shift to online consumption, specialist bookshops seem to be thriving. And taking full advantage of this is Assouline books, whose new space at Liberty is an absolute delight. Continue reading →

“Brands are more and more multi-dimentional. It’s about an experience as well as buying a product,” said Burberry’s Christopher Bailey in US Vogue recently. “What we’ve found is the more we entertain, the more we allow people into our brand. Then maybe one day they’ll buy. And then… who knows?” And so Bailey is continuing the trend for the digital extravaganza as pioneered by Burberry and Ralph Lauren; what the latter’s David Lauren referred to last year as “merchantainment” – the seamless blending of merchandising and entertainment.

At approximately 1.30pm UK time (8.30pm Beijing time) today, Burberry’s biggest digital extravaganza to date will be streamed around the world and you can watch it live here. Celebrating the opening of Burberry’s new Beijing flagship store, we’re promised a mix of live models, animated footage and ‘lifelike’ holograms, the whole event filmed from all angles, using multiple cameras in real time. iPads at the ready!*

A couple of weekends ago I was invited to be part of Liberty’s excellent initiative, the Best of British Open Call. Sitting alongside associate womenswear buyer Stephanie Jones, I was on hand to give instant feedback to fashion designers who were chasing their dream of being stocked in Liberty. Continue reading →